. >>> secretary of defense leon panetta this morning went before the senate armedded services committee to testify about the deadly terror attack on the u.s. consulate in libya. panetta defended the u.s. military's response to the attack that killed ambassador chris stevens and three other americans. he told the committee there were no specific signs of an imminent attack on that building. >> i firmly believe that the department of defense and the u.s. armed forces did all we could do in the response to the attacks in benghazi. we employed every asset -- >> he also said it would have taken at least nine hours to deploy u.s. gun ships or fighter jets to the area. the government is still looking for those responsible for that attack. >>> meanwhile secretary panetta is criticizing budget cuts that forced the department of defense to cut the number of aircraft carriers it has in the persian gulf region from two to one. planned for the uss harry s truman have been cancelled, he says a reduced military presence around the world effects the ability of the u.s. to respond quickly to a crisis. >